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Corporate Social Responsibility

Armada Hotel, one of the top accommodation venues in Clare and its' sister property Hotel Doolin have a strong ethos in support of local community and deserving causes, this ethos is driven by the Directors of the hotel and carries through to all involved in the business. It is our belief that to really succeed and to be a successful business, it must too contribute to the wellbeing of others, as success can not only be measured in numbers, but from the level of satisfied customers which we strive for, and the positive contribution which we make to the lives of others. In support of this belief you will see below a list of benefactors (2008 to 2017) who received a contribution from an average annual contribution of €85,000 , some who benefited in a small way to those who were major beneficiaries. We do believe however that this is a considerable contribution and we would like to thank our customers and staff also for helping us to make this happen.

The Elevate Foundation - Raising the Banner for Youth Wellness

The Elevate Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation bringing wellness programmes to young people in Co. Clare. Elevate aims to fund the rollout of the multifaceted wellness programme to young people, utilising independent organisations and professionals specialising in youth mental health.

The Elevate foundation will work to fundraise and fund workshops and activities to young people in Co. Clare through secondary schools and youth organisations from September 2017. The aim of these workshops and activities is to encourage young people to live their lives as fully as possible, both now and in the future.

John Burke, Managing Director of the Armada Hotel established the Elevate foundation with the aim of developing a project to address an area that he is very passionate about – promoting wellness in young people and providing them with the tools they need to get the most out of life.

For young people in Ireland today, an increase in mental health difficulties and a decrease in self- esteem and protective coping strategies tends to emerge in early adolescence, peaking in the late teen years. The recent My World Survey: National Study of Youth Mental Health in Ireland (2012) has shown that, at any given time, 1 in 5 young people are distressed to a significant degree. Thus, the importance of initiatives to promote development of resilient strategies that target the multi- layered, dynamic and ever-evolving influences young people face cannot be overstated.

Enhancing the wellbeing of young people within a school-based, interactive, peer supportive environment, can encourage them to fulfill their potential, both now and in the future. Therefore, the Elevate foundation plans to offer a variety of workshops to schools provided by select organisations and experts in the area of adolescent health. The programme will be available from the academic year 2017/2018 and delivered to first year, second year and transition year students. These workshops will facilitate a critical exploration of influences and stressors in the daily lives of adolescents, and empower them to develop individual and school based strategies to promote acceptance, resilience, and realisation of their self-worth. Workshops will include mindfulness- based stress reduction, mental health promotion through creative arts, and youth-led programmes to promote resilience and increase self-esteem.

In order to raise the necessary funds for the project, director John Burke has been organising and participating in a number of events, the most extensive being Raising the Banner for Youth Wellness – Everest 2017, his successful attempt of summiting Mount Everest which took place between April and May 2017